Overview

Grade Level: 4th
Subject Area: All Subjects
Number of Students (average): 24
Years of Teaching: 4

Description

Answer the following questions as if you were giving advice to a student teacher.

How would I introduce a discussion of my approach to instructional design?			Designing instruction is the foundation for establishing effective lessons. With a sound instructional design, you have a road map with the destination in mind, and can plan effective instructional "stops" along the way. Of course, you must take into account the resources available, required state standards, and individual students as well. Collectively with your instructional design, you can create effective lesson plans and learning outcomes for your students.
What are my resources for designing units and lessons?			Resources do not just include the prescribed district curriculum. Collaborate with other teachers in your grade level. Use the internet to research others' ideas and lesson plans. Research teaching and instructional literature that is up-to-date and relevant to your classroom. Also, never underestimate the ideas retrieved from your students. Work with your students to observe their learning styles and seek materials to enhance their learning.
What do I generally do first?			First, I always start by looking at the standards and scope & sequence for each quarter. With the end in mind, I begin looking at each standard and determining how many days/weeks will be needed to adequately teach the specific content and ensure student understanding. This is the MOST IMPORTANT step in the process, and will ensure you don't leave anything out or have to "cram" instructional objectives into the last few days of each quarter.
How do I interact with the standards?			Standards are the framework of my lesson plans. I use them as a guide in outlining my weekly plans, projects, units and assessments. The standards also help focus my instruction, setting clear, specific objectives for each lesson.
What are my constraints and how do I respond to them?			Constraints come in all directions. Some are expected: district policies, curriculum requirements, specific standards, language learners, student instructional levels. Some are unexpected: classroom personality conflicts, student-parent interaction, school drills/emergencies/activities, daily classroom interruptions. As always, we're working with humans, and flexibility is always required. I don't stress if my plans must change, I just assess the current learning stage and then adjust for the interruptions to finish our lessons. If I miss a day of instruction, I don't sweat it. I know my students will survive :)
How do I approach student assessment?			Student assessment stems from the standards and overall understandings I want my students to master each unit. Summative assessments are planned first. Once I've created my weekly lesson outlines, I add formative assessments. These may be formal or informal, with or without a product. Assessing students regularly helps me adjust my pace---clarify, reteach, or extend---and provides valuable information for what the students need to move forward to master the desired objectives.
How do I approach post-assessment?			This is something I am working on even now. To have a post-assessment, it is also valuable to have a pre-assessment. These should be prepared when establishing the framework and standard objectives, for these assessment goals are what will drive my instruction throughout the unit. Student self-assessment is the most valuable form of assessment. I utilize journals, discussion groups, and pair-share time to allow students ample reflection time. When students are able to self-assess, they internalize their learning process and begin to understand the positive and negative behaviors that impact their learning and performance.
How do I approach self-assessment?			Not only do I encourage self-assessment from my students, but I also constantly assess myself. I often reflect on lessons during and after I teach them, noting the responses of my students and the results after the lesson is complete. I realize I am my own worst critic, but I value the time I take to really assess the effectiveness of my instruction and how it is impacting my students' learning.
What are areas I would like to learn more about and/or become better at?			I would still like more practice at designing summative assessments, besides the standard benchmark testing provided by the district. I don't want to focus on the quantity of questions, but rather the depth and quality of assessments I am providing for my students. With quality assessments I will be able to effectively monitor the progress of my students and ensure I am constantly challenging their current thinking and expanding their learning.
What final advice would I give about my approach to instructional design?			If you approach instructional design from the end first, you will be more successful in aligning your instruction to your final goal. Working backwards gives you the big picture and allows you to manage your time, plan assessments and student learning goals, and determine the steps to achieve your instructional goals. I wish this had been a part of my lesson planning from the first day. Also, never forget that you are teaching children. They have valuable input and are a part of your instructional plan. You will find that if you facilitate a warm, welcoming community of learning, you will learn from your students just as much as they learn from you. The true value of teaching: you become a life-long learner.